Strangest Death Row meals revealed: From a single tortilla wrap to an entire jar of dill pickles

Death Row meals are the stuff of an infamous legend, sparking endless conversation over the years as people ask, “What would you have as your last meal ever?”

While it’s not uncommon for people on death row to order nostalgic meals that remind them of happier times, some inmates have requested very unusual items as part of their last meal.

From a single tortilla wrap to an entire jar of dill pickles, read below for a roundup of the strangest last meals death row inmates can order.

A single tortilla wrap

While many may see their last meal as an opportunity to go wild, Charles Rumbaugh opted for a very minimalistic choice.

After being convicted of robbery and murder in 1975 at the age of 17, Rumbaugh spent nearly a decade in prison before being executed.

It seems he also had little to no appetite during his last meal, as Rumbaugh chose to eat only one flour tortilla before his execution.

A can of Coca-Cola and a pack of chips

Motivated perhaps by nostalgia, or even simplicity when it came to her final meal choice, Velma Barfield opted for a meal that might not have been filling, but certainly would have been satisfying.

Barfield was given a life sentence after poisoning at least four people, including her boyfriend.

Although she made attempts to appeal her conviction, those appeals ultimately failed.

When she died, she became the first woman to be executed in the US since 1962 and the first female prisoner to die by lethal injection.

Brafield chose to have one can of Coca-Cola and one bag of Cheeze Doodles before her death.

Her reasons for this choice are unclear, but the North Carolina prison where she was serving her sentence granted her the items.

Chicken, chips and peas with cherries, olives and… celery

Bruno Richard Hauptmann’s meal was a ridiculously idiosyncratic combination of foods that might taste appetizing, but taken together, this meal will make your eyes water and your stomach turn.

Hauptmann rose to fame in the 1930s for his part in the sensational Lindbergh kidnapping case.

He would have the toddler Charles Lindbergh Jr. kidnapped, after which he demanded a whopping $50,000 in ransom.

He was later given a death sentence for subsequently killing the boy, although he maintained his innocence.

As usual, prison officials allowed Hauptmann free choice of food for his last meal.

His selections included chicken and chips – a classic combination that is not unusual in itself.

However, he also bizarrely requested cherries, olives, buttered peas and plain celery.

This random assortment of veggies isn’t often paired with his choice of protein or carbs, and there’s seemingly no rhyme or reason for these selections.

Hauptmann kept it much simpler for dessert, however, as he asked for a single piece of cake.

Tacos, enchiladas, ice cream, burgers and a fruitcake

While some weird last meals are notable for their minimalism, Peter J. Miniel’s order is memorable for its sheer size.

Miniel violently murdered an acquaintance in 1986 and rejected – in what may have been an unfortunate decision for him in hindsight – a plea deal in favor of a jury trial.

In the end, that gamble cost him his life. After the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals upheld his death sentence in 1992, Miniel was jailed for more than a decade to figure out what he’d like for his last meal.

When it came time to make a decision, Miniel made the most of his right to choose whatever he wanted to eat.

The prisoner’s order was one of the largest in recent memory, containing fourteen different foods.

Extraordinarily, he opted for twenty tacos, two ice creams, twenty enchiladas, two double cheeseburgers, fried chicken, pizza, and a fruitcake for dessert.

He also asked for four drinks: orange juice, root beer, Pepsi and Coca-Cola.

It is not known whether or not the prisoner was able to finish this huge feast. One thing is certain: he left no stone unturned when it came to the size of his last meal.

Ordering the full menu purely out of spite

While most inmates order their last meals out of a desire for familiarity or pleasure, Lawrence Russell Brewer may have ordered his out of sheer spite.

His elaborate request included: a triple bacon cheeseburger, a meat lover’s pizza, three root beers, peanut butter fudge, ice cream, an omelet, fried okra, a pound of grilled meat, and a double order of chicken fried steak.

Despite Brewer’s gargantuan list of foods, he caused a stir around the world by refusing to eat a single bite of the feast, claiming he was not hungry.

Brewer’s behavior resulted in a large amount of wasted food and drew the ire of a Texas senator named John Whitmire, who helped end the longstanding practice of allowing Texas inmates to request last meals .

Because of Brewer’s antics, death row inmates in Texas have been unable to choose their favorite last meal since 2011.

A whole jar of dill pickles

In 2000, another Texas inmate showed a bizarre love for a particular food.

Convicted murderer Stacey Lawton’s last meal consisted of a traditional cheeseburger and fries, but was strangely accompanied by an entire jar of dill pickles.

While the salty, sour taste of dill pickles makes them a great addition to burgers, many people would struggle to eat an entire jar in one sitting.

However, Lawton clearly felt that his last meal would be incomplete without a generous helping of pickles.